"Your fight is our fight," Barrot told reporters. "You fight to restore the territorial integrity of Ukraine, but you also hold the front line between Europe and Putin's Russia - between freedom and oppression. We are doing everything we can to prevent other nations from being drawn into this war."
In a significant announcement, Barrot confirmed that Ukraine will receive its first batch of Dassault Mirage 2000 fighter jets in early 2025. The delivery of these aircraft marks a milestone in France's ongoing military assistance to Ukraine.
"The first Mirage 2000 aircraft will be delivered to Ukraine at the beginning of next year," Barrot said during the press conference in Kiev.
It's not Rafale, but it's Mirage 2000. Ukraine will receive French planes, after already operating American-made F-16
The statement of the French foreign minister is all the more interesting since recently, on October 14, French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu said that France's latest military aid package for Ukraine does not include, in particular, the delivery of Rafale fighter jets.
According to information from Le Monde, advisers to President Emmanuel Macron discussed the possibility of withdrawing Rafale aircraft from the French Air Force to be deployed in Ukraine. However, Minister Lecornu opposed the idea, pointing out the current complexities. It focused on highlighting plans to equip Mirage 2000 aircraft with modern air-to-surface missiles and advanced electronic warfare systems.
It must be said that the idea of supplying Rafale to Ukraine was considered by France as early as March 2021. A year before the Russian invasion, Macron reportedly discussed the possibility of selling Rafale aircraft to Kiev during a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, marking -a as a priority for his administration.
What Russian propaganda says about the arrival of French Mirage 2000 planes on the Ukrainian front
Russian Air Force General Vladimir Popov, in an interview with Russian pro-war propaganda portal Vzglyad, discussed France's announcement of the Mirage 2000 delivery.
He says that while the Mirage 2000s have the ability to pose problems for Russia, in terms of the weaponry they can be equipped with, he is skeptical that this will happen in the context of the need for well-trained and experienced pilots.
The Russian general compared the Mirage 2000 rather to the Soviet MiG-29 and says that Russia's military aviation is "superior".
"The Mirage 2000 is a fourth-generation fighter, just like the F-16. But our technology is more advanced. Russian fighter jets of the 4++ generation are close to the capabilities of the fifth generation aircraft," said the Russian aviation general, who is of the opinion that the Mirage 2000 will not help Ukraine.
He identified three reasons why he declared himself "concerned" that the Mirage 2000s would reach the front.
First of all the number of French planes. In his opinion, more than 70 planes are needed for the Ukrainians to cause problems for the Russians.
Second there is the issue of pilots. The preparation process, the Russian general claims, takes a long time. "It takes three to four flights and real combat missions to get used to each type of weapon," says Popov. The Russian propaganda portal does not rule out "foreign mercenary" pilots flying Ukraine's western planes. This thesis is also often found in Russian propaganda narratives.
Thirdly, the Russian aviation general believes that the Ukrainians will have problems with the infrastructure for the Mirage 2000.
